RAVENNA — For two weeks, Montague’s defensive unit took it on the chin, allowing 60-plus points in back-to-back games. Friday night, though, the Wildcats looked like a different group.
The Montague defense largely locked down Ravenna’s two quarterbacks, Jaxson Wilburn and Dylan May, and scored as many points itself as it allowed, setting the Wildcats up for a 49-7 romp.
Montague secured a playoff spot with the win as one of the last teams in in Division 6; the Wildcats travel to Newaygo Friday night. Immediately after the game, though, their position was uncertain.
“We talked to these guys,” Montague coach Justin Dennett said. “We don’t know what’s going to happen. We knew if we won, we had a chance to make the playoffs, but it’s not guaranteed. These seniors were just going to leave it all out there.”
After the teams traded three-and-outs to start the game, Montague took command, going with a ground-heavy attack to score on a one-yard run by Ryver Jarka. After a fourth-down stop in their own territory, the ‘Cats struck again with a 19-yard touchdown run by Jarka around left end. Jarka, rarely stoic anyway, ran with emotion and purpose throughout the evening, often dragging Bulldog defenders for extra yardage. He ended the night with 170 yards on 23 carries.
Montague's Ryver Jarka evades Ravenna tackler Brody Anderson during Friday's game at Ravenna. Kellan Francis blocks Anderson in support of his teammate. Montague won the game, 42-7.
“I think we were just sick of losing, sick of falling apart mid-game and collected it all together during practice and got it done,” Jarka said, explaining his team’s mindset.
Ravenna put a drive together on its next possession and was approaching the Wildcat red zone when Cooper Bradley snagged an overthrown ball and found nothing but green grass ahead of him, racing 81 yards for a touchdown that gave Montague a healthy 20-0 cushion. Bradley picked off a pass on Ravenna’s next possession, too.
“He made a great play there, and for him to return it all the way to take some pressure on offense, that was a pivotal point for sure,” Dennett said. “It was a great play by Cooper.”
Ravenna finally did manage to find the end zone to open the third quarter, but the ‘Cats quickly responded with an impressive drive, and Eli Petersen hit Talan Degen for a 10-yard score on third-and-9. Just for good measure, Montague got a two-point conversion on a shovel pass to Fletcher Thommen.
Thommen and Dane Roesler later found the end zone for touchdowns of their own as Montague kept pounding away at the Bulldog defense in the final quarter.
“The offensive line’s been great all year, and they’re mainly juniors, four of the five,” Dennett said; he credited senior David Myers for helping lead the Wildcats on and off the field. “They grew as the year went on, too, and got better and better. In the last few weeks, we’ve been running the ball really well and it’s because of the offensive line up front and what they’re doing.”
But the story was the defense, which tied a season best in points allowed and delivered when it meant the most. On top of Bradley’s two picks, Jarka also snagged an interception - off a tipped pass by Bradley. Fletcher Thommen recorded a team-high eight solo tackles, and Dylan Bailey added six.
“I was really proud of how they played,” Dennett said. “Guys were flying around and defensive backs were making plays. We’ve still got some things we’ve got to clean up, but to hold them to seven points and force the turnovers that we did was an awesome night from the defense.”
The ‘Cats hadn’t yet learned in the immediate aftermath that they were headed for the postseason, but Jarka and his teammates, especially the seniors, can prepare for at least one more week in their careers.
“I’ll just pray that we get one more week, and turn it into five more weeks, and just keep being us,” Jarka said.
